Install the plugin

PowerWP AI installs like any other WordPress plugin, from a zip file. Installing takes a minute. Then you activate your license and connect your AI app.

Install it#

1. Get the zip. Get the Free plan or sign in to your account on powerwp.ai, open My account › Downloads and download powerwp-ai-<version>.zip. Paid and Free plans both have it there. Do not unzip it.
2. Open the upload screen. In WordPress go to Plugins › Add Plugin (Add New in older versions) and choose Upload Plugin.
3. Upload the zip. Choose the file and select Install Now.
4. Activate. Select Activate Plugin.
5. Run the checks. Open PowerWP AI › Dashboard, find Environment checks and select Run checks. Fix anything marked as a problem before you connect an app.

A PowerWP AI menu now appears in the WordPress sidebar with Dashboard, Connections, Memory, Recipes, Activity, Changes, Backups, Settings, License and Help. The plugin also has a Settings link on the Plugins screen that opens it.

If your host blocks plugin uploads, unzip the file and upload the wpai-mcp folder to wp-content/plugins/ by SFTP, then activate the plugin on the Plugins screen.

What activation sets up#

• Database tables for connections, the activity log and the change history.
• A private storage folder for snapshots and backups, normally inside wp-content.
• A small must-use loader in wp-content/mu-plugins/ that makes rescue mode possible. If that folder is not writable, the Environment checks on the PowerWP AI › Dashboard warn you.
• A first update and license check with the PowerWP update service. It sends technical details about the site, never content, orders or customers. See what is sent.

Next, open PowerWP AI › License and enter your key. See Activate your license.

Updates#

New versions arrive like any other plugin update, under Dashboard › Updates and on the Plugins screen. PowerWP AI asks the PowerWP update service once a day whether a newer release exists.

WordPress installs a PowerWP AI update only if the package carries a valid signature from the PowerWP release key that is built into the plugin. A package without a valid signature is refused. An AI app connected through PowerWP AI cannot update the plugin itself.

Updates and support are included while a paid plan is active, and the Free plan gets plugin updates too. If a paid plan ends, the site goes back to the Free plan 3 days after the end date: your AI app can still read the site, but it can't change anything until you subscribe again. See Activate your license.

Requirements#

WordPress 6.0+, PHP 7.4+, HTTPS and an AI app with remote MCP support. See Requirements and compatibility for the full list.

Removing the plugin#

Deleting PowerWP AI also deletes its data by default: connections, site memory and recipes, the activity log, the change history, and the private folder with snapshots and backups. Download any backup you want to keep first. Switch off Settings › Uninstall › Delete all data on uninstall if you want to keep the change history.

Optional: keep snapshots and backups outside the web root#

Recommended for production sites. Snapshots and backups can contain private data. By default PowerWP AI keeps them in a folder named wpai-mcp- plus a random suffix, protected by an .htaccess file. You can move the folder out of the web root by adding a line to wp-config.php, above the line that says to stop editing:

define( 'WPAI_MCP_STORAGE_DIR', '/home/your-user/wpai-private' );

Use an absolute path that the web server can write to. The example path is only an example. Set it right after installing.

On nginx, which ignores .htaccess files, either use this constant or add a rule to your server block. The Environment checks card on PowerWP AI › Dashboard tells you whether you need it, and the rule is printed under wp-config constants.